True Grit

By: Charles Portis

Narrated by: Donna Tartt

Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's Summary

Now a major film written and directed by the Coen Brothers

There is no knowing what lies in a man's heart.

On a trip to buy ponies, Frank Ross is killed by Torn Chancy, who shoots him down for a horse, $150 cash, and two gold pieces. Ross's single-minded teenage daughter, Mattie, travels to claim his body... Then she meets Rooster - a man with grit - and persuades him to join her on a deadly quest to avenge her father's murder.

Narrated by bestselling American author Donna Tartt, who brings True Grit - her favourite book - to life with perfect intonation, insight and suspense.

©1969 Charles Portis (P)2006 WF Howes Ltd

Critic Reviews

“What book has given me greater pleasure in the last five years? Or in the last twenty? I do not know. What a writer!” (Roald Dahl)

Truly Gripping

True Grit follows the journey of a stubborn young woman, 14 year-old Mattie Ross, as she seeks revenge for the murder of her father, enlisting the help of a Deputy US Marshall, Rooster Cogburn, because he has 'grit'. It's a wonderful tale of great courage and endurance on all sides. The novel's pace varies with the action it's describing: the long horse-rides are filled with extensive, languid character-revealing conversations, while the action scenes are eye-widening, fast-moving and sometimes horrifying.

I was surprised how close the original film starring John Wayne was to this novel, and as Donna Tartt read it I found I was seeing scenes from the movie in my mind's eye. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Ms Tartt's reading, which revealed how the written words ought to sound by intonation as much as by pronunciation. Because of the comparison with the movie, I found that the conversations with Stonehill (the horse dealer) lacked the irony and sarcasm that Strother Martin was able to inject in the film.

I loved it, I loved the characters, and Ms Tartt conveyed an empathy and love for the book herself in her reading, making it a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Be careful where you listen to this book - I was listening on commuter trains and on occasions gasped, smiled, laughed, and wept unable to stop, in front of wondering witnesses!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Great story

I enjoyed this immensely. Generally, I don't really like Westerns but this is a great story and has an excellent plot. Whilst sad, it is an engrossing and totally believable tale of the people and places of the American wild-west of the 1870s.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

It's a story to get utterly lost in

Okay, here's the thing, it took me ages to work out why it didn't feel right. I loved the story, the narrator's American drawl fitted it perfectly - even if she did sound a little nervous to start with. So why wasn't i getting it?

Then it hit me. Rooster Cogburn didn't sound like John Wayne - I know that sounds mad, but in my mind that's how Cogburn spoke.

I haven't seen the new film, though that's why i got this audiobook, because the new film is out. I guess if i had, then maybe I'd have got the John Wayne thing out of my head beforehand.

As soon as i stopped thinking about John Wayne as Cogburn, and just let the story flow, I became utterly lost in it.

It is a remarkable tale. The only other time I've ever been engrossed in a book about a teenage girl was in the Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman, and they both share a similar gripping, powerful story about a brave girl you just can't help rooting for.

I guess everyone knows the story of True Grit, but what you get out of this are all the extra bits, the thoughts, the feelings, the bits you can't put into a film. This book will tell you more about the motivations and what really went on than you could possibly guess.

It's a must.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

True grit review

I loved this. I don't know how many times I've listened to it now. Donna Tartt's steady and unaffected yet humourous and expressive reading is perfect.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Superb narration

Gripping story, superbly narrated by Donna Tartt - thoroughly enjoyable.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Gripping characters

What does Donna Tartt bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I was unfairly hesitant about a novel narrated by another established author. Donna Tartt brings the characters to life wonderfully.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

True GOLD from TRUE GRIT

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

YES. Story telling at it's best and Donna Tartt to read it for you. What's not to like?

What was one of the most memorable moments of True Grit?

Mattie's horse dealing to get, well, a horse. Funny and clever.

What about Donna Tartt’s performance did you like?

Just about the most compellingly listen-able performance you are likely to hear. Every character is distinct and wholly alive.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not a single moment. The whole book is warm hearted and the soothing of Rooster Cogburn by Mattie a consummate delight.

Any additional comments?

A fine classic given the Rolls-Royce treatment by the reader. Do not miss it!.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A Great story narrated by Donna Tartt she's great

I loved every bit of this book. The characters were full of life.The story told through the girl makes it more fun but at the same time more frightening for her. I keep waiting to hear the voice of John Wayne. But the more I went with the story the more i like the girls voice telling the story. I can't wait to hear it again.......

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Where chivalry meets the wild frontier

This is a story probably better known, at least in the UK, for its movie adaptations, including the John Wayne classic. But the novel is a masterpiece in its own right, as Donna Tartt argues in an excellent afterword. The story of a bright young girl, Matty Ross, the narrator, seeking revenge for her father’s murder, True Grit explores her partnership with Rooster Cogburn, a jaded, heavy-drinking deputy US Marshall, with a reputation for shooting first and asking questions later, as they go on the trail of the killer, Tom Chainey, and the bandit gang of which he’s a member. Their adventures are related from Matty’s viewpoint in a marvellously deadpan style. Donna Tartt, author of modern classics The Secret History and The Goldfinch, and The Little Friend - also narrated from a young girl’s point of view - tells the story in a wonderfully evocative southern drawl. She’s an enigmatic figure, with limited public profile, which made her narration all the more fascinating. The novel’s plot really picks up momentum in the last hour or so; the finale and closing segments of the novel are masterfully done. For all fans of Westerns, and Tartt, this is obligatory listening.

An excellent yarn, told well.

It may be a short novel, but it packs a punch. A fast-moving story with memorable characters and good humour, well-told by Donna Tartt.